Artificial tooth.



1. L. WILLIAMS. ARTIFICIAL TOOTH. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7. WM.

Patentd May18, 1915.

JAMES LEON WILLIAMS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIG-NOR TO THE DENTISTSSUPFLY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ARTIFICIAL TOO'IH.

' To all whom it may concern:

"Be it known that I, JAMEs LEON WIL- LIAMS, citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of New York, county of New York, and State of NewYork, have invented an Improvement in Artificial Teeth, of which thefollowingis a s ecification.

The object 0 my invention, is to provide a construction of artificialtooth which shall have certain characteristic surface constructionscapable of producing in use an approximation to the appearance j ofnatural teeth. In artificial teeth, as they have been heretoforeconstructed, and more particularly in respect to the front teeth, namelythose located between the bicuspids and which are more readily exposedin the act of talking, the porcelain of the labial surfaces of the teethhave invariably been made with a comparatively smooth glossy appearancewhich so reflects the light as to appear unnaturally brilliant andobtrusive, thereby making their artificial nature more readily apparent.It is desirable that the artificial front teeth shall be so constructed,not only as to shape and color, as to resemble natural teeth, but theobjectionable characteristics of the glossy porcelain shall be subduedby surface structural features which shall so break up the reflectedrays from the teeth that the artificial appearance is greatly subduedand the general effect to the eye of an observer shall more nearlyapproxnnate the characteristic appearance of natural teeth.

My invention consists in an artificial tooth having its front or labialsurface provided with transversely arranged portions in more or lessirregular manner which shall so break up the reflected light as toprevent a brilliant reflection from the medial portions of the labialsurface.

More specifically considered, my invention comprises a tooth having itslabial or front surface provided with vertical shallow groovesapproximating those of natural teeth crossed by a plurality of shallowgrooves or irregular surface portions of relatively small cross sectionwhich, while not obtrusive to the eye, act to split up or break thereflections from the tooth surface to soften the brilliancy thereof morearticularly at the medial portion of the ront or labial surface.

My invention also comprehends features of construction which, with thoseabove Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 7, 1914. Serial No. 823,078.

Patented May 18, 1915.

stated, will be more fully understood by ref erence to the accompanyingdrawings, in which c Figurel is a front elevation of an artificlal toothembodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of thesame on a larger scale; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are transverse sections of thesame taken on lines m-w, yy and z-z respectively of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6is a frontelevation of .an artificial tooth embodying a modification. ofmy invention. 4

A is the body of the tooth and may be made of any of the usual bisquecompositions vitrified to form a porcelain tooth having a particularshape according to whether the tooth is for the upper or lower jaw andwhether incisors or canine teeth constituting the front teeth of themouth. The general shape of the teeth, in so far as their application toa plate or for otherwise being secured in the mouth, whether in bridgework or crown work or otherwise, is immaterial to my invention, as theparticular improvements here set out are especially directed to thefront or labial surfaces of the teeth which are exposed in talking. Iprefer to arrange at the upper portion of the tooth, a plurality of widecurved transverse ridges D to approximate the formation adjacent to theroot of the tooth and which come close to the ms in use. Between theseridges D and the biting edge C, the front surface may be provided withvertical grooves which are widely separated and of shallow depthapproximating the vertical grooves found in natural teeth, such groovesbeing indicated at F, F, in Fig. 1, whereina front upper in cisor isshown. In the medial belt or portion of the front or labial surface ofthe tooth, namely that portion below the transtransversely so that thesur ace is irregular and the planes of the surface are so variable thatthe reflected light is broken up l'll such a manner as to destroy theobjectionable brilliancy of the porcelain surface. Morefaces.

apparent by reference to Figs. 3, 4 and 5,

where the irregularities shown at E in Figs.

4 and 5 are characteristically different from the irregularities shownat D in Fig. 3.

IVhen a tooth having'the above structures is employed inthe mouth, it ismanifest that whether the labial surface is moistened or not, thereflection is so greatly subdued by having the reflected lightrayscaused to diverge in so many different directions that the heretoforebrilliant reflection of the porcelain has been so modified that to theobserver the tooth has an appearance which closely approximates thenatural tooth. This natural appearance is, moreover, in-

creased in actual use of the tooth, over the forms of artificial teethheretofore in use, in that the labial surface thereof becomes moreorless coated with the secretions of the mouth and which to a slightextent are more readily supported by the fine irregula'r surface formedby the transverse irregularities E to soften the reflected light.

In view of the fact that the transverse irregular grooving or striationsE is made upon a convex surface, both vertically and transversely, asidefrom other irregularities caused by the vertical grooving F of thetooth, it is manifest that there will be but a very small surface at anyone place to cause 40 reflections of parallel rays of light; and it istherefore apparent that the reflected light must necessarily bematerially subdued, and moreover, the surface of the teeth will bedevoid "of that uniformity which has heretofore been so objectionable acharacteristic of artificial teeth.

In the modified form of my invention, shown in Fig. 6, I have formed thetrans verse irregularities or striations by surfaces having such finestippling as to produce a more or less frosted appearance and therebybreak up the reflected light without as great a depth of irregularitiesas in the case of- Figs. 1 and 2. This stippling or frosted effect ispreferably formed in transverse bars, as -mthe-case ofFig, l, and whileit is indicated in Fig. 6 in the form of dots by way 'of illustration,it is manifest that it may be formed by depressions or minuteprojections, though the surface itself being of porcelain would be ofthe usual glossy appearance. I'he reflections of h ht, however, will begreatly dispersed an will operate in. more or less the same manner asthe irregularities shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thereby giving to the teeththe more natural dullness of natural teeth.

In the particular illustration shown in the drawings, the toothindicates what is known as a pin tooth, namely, one having metallic pinsprojecting at the rear, whereby they may be attached to the rubber orother plate which is to fit the jaw. This is only by way of example, asin the case of crown teeth the pin would be at the upper portion, or thetooth may be applied to a plate by grooves or any other of the wellknown manners of attachment of artificial teeth in common use. Myinvention is applicable to any artificial front teeth, irrespective ofthe shape of the back or means of attachment for use in the mouth,whether to natural teeth by use of the bridge work and crowns, by directapplication to the jaw or by attachment to a plate. 1

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is I 1. An artificial tooth having its entirelabial portions formed with a glossy surface said surface provided atand near one end with large transverse ribs and at and adjacent itsother or biting endwith a relatively smooth reflecting surface and alsohaving its middle surface between the end portions formed with aplurality of transversely arranged shallow light dispersing striationsblending into the large transverse rib portions and terminating at adistance from the smooth reflecting surface of the biting end of thetooth.

2. As an article of manufacture, an artificial tooth in which its labialsurface at and immediately adjacent to its biting end is formed smoothand reflecting and the medial portion of said labial surface formed withirregularly disposed light dispersing portions to reduce the brilliancyof the said labial surface at a distance from the biting 'end, saidlight dispersing portions separated

